


Bastard

by prin_zyth



Category: Seraphina - Rachel Hartman
Genre: Brotp, Gen, i had fun writing it for all of 6 minutes, this is shit btw but enjoy, which is how long it took me, writing gen is good for the soul
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2020-07-30 12:57:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20097595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prin_zyth/pseuds/prin_zyth





	Bastard

Kiggs had asked Glisselda to sit down with him, saying that he wanted to talk to her. She'd jokingly asked if it was anything serious, but his response to the contrary didn't seem to dissuade her of the idea. Setting up this meeting was a little dramatic, if he was telling the truth. But this was important to him, and he wanted Glisselda to know that.

She seemed to. As she sat down, she consciously sat up straight and ran her hands down the front of her dress, smoothing it. He didn't give her enough credit for her natural diplomatic skill. Her usual silliness was completely gone, replaced by attentiveness.

He had rehearsed a bit of what he wanted to say, but now it eluded him. Glisselda spoke first.�  
"What is it, Lucian?"

He sighed. "Selda, I…I don't want you to call me 'bastard' anymore, even jokingly. Maybe I'm just being sensitive, but it bothers me."

He had turned his gaze downward, and now he looked up to gauge her reaction. He was expecting confusion, or maybe even offense, but instead, Glisselda laughed.

"Oh, is that it? I was worried that it was something serious."

A wave of relief washed over him. "I was worried that you would be offended, I guess. I'm sorry to have made such a big deal over nothing."

Selda reached out and took his hand, giving it a squeeze. "It's not nothing. I'm sorry that I was calling you that all this time. I wish you had told me sooner that it bothered you." She hesitated for a moment. "Would you…like to tell me why you feel this way?" Then as an afterthought, she added, "You don't have to, of course."

"When you call me…that, it reminds me that I am an other in this family. That I don't belong, and I never have. I know that Grandmamma—rest she on Heaven's hearthstone—loved me, but I was still an alien to her, and of course your mother never truly accepted me. You—and Uncle Rufus, of course—were the only ones who didn't resent me, but when you call me a 'bastard,' it makes me doubt that I have even your support." He cringed at that last bit; it sounded so accusatory.

And yet it was true, and it needed to be said if he was ever going to resolve this.

He released her hand, leaning back in his seat. There was an uncomfortable silence for a few moments before Selda said, "I'm so sorry that I ever made you feel like an outsider in our family, Lucian. Not just because that's a terrible feeling, but because it's simply not true. You're like a brother to me, and you couldn't belong here any more than you already do."

He looked up at her again, and her smile was warm, though her eyes were sad, regretful.

"Thanks, Selda. I'm lucky to have a cousin like you."

They stood up at the same time, and he pulled her into a hug. Even on her tiptoes, the top of her head barely reached his shoulders, and he ended up resting his chin on her head for a few seconds before they pulled apart.

After the hug ended, Selda held his shoulders at arm's length and met his eyes. "And I am beyond fortunate to have you."

Kiggs found himself grinning even once she had left. Glisselda was his cousin, his royal partner, and his best friend. And he wouldn't have chosen anyone else to fill her shoes.


End file.
